1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to plastic furniture. More particularly, the invention concerns a lightweight plastic folding table having a novel, structurally reinforced support platform providing a work surface.
2. Discussion of the Invention
Lightweight furniture which exhibits superior structural characteristics is in wide demand for many industrial and institutional applications. Entities having great need for such furniture include schools, convention centers, hotels, factories, business offices and various governmental entities. Particularly in demand are lightweight folding tables and lightweight modular units for use in offices and the like which are readily portable and easily storable when not in use.
While many types of lightweight furniture have been suggested in the past, a typical drawback of such furniture is a lack of structural integrity which tends to contribute to limited useful life and to frequent structural failures. As a general rule, when the prior art furniture designers have attempted to correct the structural deficiencies in the prior art designs, the furniture becomes excessively heavy and unduly bulky. As will be discussed in greater detail in the paragraphs that follow, the thrust of the present invention is to provide lightweight, readily portable furniture which embodies a unique structural reinforcement core that provide superior structural integrity to the furniture without unduly increasing its weight or bulkiness.
Exemplary of typical prior art plastic folding tables are those described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,951,576 issued to Cobos et al. The Cobos et al tables include upper and lower plastic table top halves and a framework grid, preferably made of wood, sandwiched therebetween. Another example of a prior art folding table is that described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,394,808 issued to Dutro et al. This table has a unitary table top formed of molded plastic preferably having an outer shell of non-cellular plastic with a filling of lightweight hardened foam. Other examples of prior art table constructions can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,271,338 issued to Bonham and in U.S. Pat. No. 3,628,470 issued to DeLucas.